Method of making plaques and the like



' Aug. 2, 1932. c, BOULARD METHOD OF MAKING PLAQUES AND THE LIKE FiledApril 19. 1929 7 INVENTOR flopp'i'zznceBoula/rd,

I M; ATTO NEY Patented Aug. 2, 1932 CONSTA-NC'E BOULARD, or new YORK,1m; Y.

METHOD or MAKING PLAQUES AND THE LIKE.

Application filed April 19,

The present invention relates to ornamental decoration and the methodwhereby the same is accomplished.

One object of the invention is the produca tion of a new type ofornamental device, as an article of manufacture, which is usuable fordecorative signs, ornamental plaques and the like.

Another object of the invention is to utilize thin metal sheets or foilof various natural colors and texture, whereby to create novel coloreffects. Some metallic foils may be artificially colored or stained inparts of the created design in order to attain other forms of color,novelty and effects.

Metallic foils of different surface texture, planished, matt orstippled, as desired, in various suitable combinations may be used tocarry out the artistic and ornamental effects desired.

Another object is to provide a novel means of attaching the thin metalfoil to a suitably rigid backing wherein the attaching or bondingmaterial is sufiiciently plastic to receive and retain the foil and theimpressed or cut-out designs thereon in a firm and permanent manner.

Other objects of the invention will be readily apprehended as the hereindescription proceeds, and it is obvious that un limited variations maybe made in the art herein disclosed without departing from the spiritthereof or the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the main components, of the hereindescribed improvement, separated.

Fig; 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a conventionally decorated article.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the assembled plaque, taken on the line33, Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan View of an alternate form of decoration.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view thereof, taken on the line 55, Fig. 4,looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a fragment 5 of aplaque being ornamented.

1929. Serial no; 356,384.

Fig.7 is a sectional view of a joined sheet of foil and tissue. The mainstructural features of my improvement comprise, as in Fig. 1, a backingboard 1 of any suitable nature, to provide a n5 stiff support forpermanently mounting the foil thereon. The sheet foil 2, shown somewhatthicker than is actually used, for obvious reasons, may beof anysuitable metal and, ordinarily, is only a few thousandths no of an inchin thickness. The foil is attached to the backing by the use of a thinsheet of plastic tissue 3 of cementitious nature.

I have ascertained that a thin, unvulcanized rubber tissue answers thedouble purpose of readily cementing the foil tothe backing, and alsoacts as a flowable, depressible padding or filler between the backingand" the foil; Tissue of about one-thirty second to one-sixteenth of aninch is suitable and provides an excellent bond and deformable filler'for the assembled plaque -tobe decorated.

'The foil, tissue and backing are brought into surface contact, asindicated in Figs. 3 and 6 in cross-section, and then a hot sad iron orsimilar means is passed over the foil, which may be protected againstsurface scratching by using a piece of cloth, a sheet of paper or thelike. The heat thus transso: mitted fuses the tissue and, when cooled,the foil is firmly adhered to the tissue and the lat ter to the backing1, and the tissue 3 forms a pressure sensitive cementitious bond betweensaid foil and backing, for further treatment.

After the foil, tissue and backing have been bonded together in aunitary piece, the plaque is thenready for the final treatment, asdisclosed in Fig. 2.

It is to'be understood that where foil is used throughout thespecification and claims, that any satisfactory form of adhered coatingis indicated.

This treatment consists in impressing a design upon the flat, exposedsurface of the foil 2 and, in the present instance, a purelyconventional ornamentation 4 is shown in Fig. 2 comprising a flower andleaf design. The lines- 5, which comprise the design, are 1 caused bydepressing the foil at said lines in order to delineate the desiredpicture. This may be accomplished in numerous ways, such as pressing aline out upon the surface of the foil or, as in Fig. 6, to delineateline by line the design which is desired; In this latter figure a hard,pointed stylus 6 is used, the desired ornamentation being worked intothe face of the soft backed foil 2, thus delineating the design by anindented groove '7 which, while shown as a narrow groove, may be variedin width according to the type of point used upon the scribing end ofthe stylus, which point may be varied in dimensions, as required. Thus,any design may be impressed upon the surface of the foil and pressureexerted upon the stylus causes the foil to deform into delineatinggrooves and the tissue backing to be displaced permanently at suchgroove positions, as at 77-7, Fig. 3.

After a design hasbeen styled into the face of the foil, the designitself may be colored, acid stained or otherwise treated or amplified,as may be desired, or the foil and design may be left in natural foilcolor and then treated with a clear lacquer to protect the foil againstexposure and possible corrosion.

As previously stated, the present invention also comprehends the use ofa large variety of foils of different metals, such as brass, copper,aluminum, tin and the like, all of these having effective and usefulself colors, and the combination of these in a single plaque enhancesthe decorative and ornamental effects.

Figs. 4 and 5 disclose a form of modified utilization of the above notedprinciples in which, however, as in Fig. 7, the tissue 8 and foil 2 arefirstjoined together without thebacking and the desired design styledtherein upon any temporary support or backing. Thereafter the design maybe cut out, cutting foil and tissue togetheras a single unit, and thecut-out design thus produced may be mounted upon a backing by pressingthe design with a hot iron to bond or adhere the design upon thebacking. This produces, as in Figs. 4 and 5, a backing of stiff material9, which may be covered by any desirable surfacing material such as likeor unlike colored foil, textiles or suitable coloring and weave, as 10,or any other suitable and desirable material, so that the cut-out design11 will be prominent and stand out in great contrast to its backing, asthe sectional view, Fig. 5, illustrates.

The leaves of design 11 may be made of other colored foils than the foilused for the flower portion thereof, and it is obvious that innumerablepleasing and attractive eflects can be attained by modifying thematerials, colors and technique herein disclosed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: e

1. A method of creating ornamental designs consisting in interposing adeformable cementitious substance between a foil and a stiff backing,imparting heat to said substance to cause it to be cemented to both thefoil and the backing to permanently unite them, and styling a designupon said foil.

2. A method of creating ornamental designs consisting in interposing adeformable, cementitious substance between a metallic foil and a stiffbacking, imparting heat to said substance to cause it to be cemented toboth the foil and the backing to permanently unite them, and inscribinga design upon the exposed face of the foil.

3. A method of creating ornamental designs consisting in interposing acementitious deformable plastic substance between a metallic foil and astiff backing, then imparting heat to said substance to cause it to becemented to both the foil and the backing to permanently unite them, andthen producing a design upon the face of said foil by deforming the foiland plastic substance.

4. A method of creating an ornamental plaque consisting in permanentlybonding foil on a stiff backing and styling a design on the foil.

5. A method of creating an ornamental device consisting in permanentlyplastically bonding foil on a rigid backing and inscribing a design onthe foil.

6. A method of creating an ornamental device consisting in permanentlybonding foil on a stiff backing by means of a cementitious, deformabletissue, and then engraving a design on the foil.

7. In a process of producing an ornamental plaque the process consistingin interposing a thin sheet of unvulcanized rubber tissue between ametal foil and a rigid backing, then imparting heat to said tissuethrough said foil, whereby to cause said tissue to be cemented to boththe foil and the backing, thereby permanently plastically uniting them,and then inscribing a permanent design upon said foil.

8. In a process of producing an ornamental plaque the process consistingin permanently plastically bonding foil by means of unvulcanized rubberto a suitable stiff backing and then inscribing a design upon said foil.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this18th day of April, A. D. 1929.

CONSTANCE BOULARD.

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